As everyone (hopefully) knows, the Burke Mountain Temporary Garden is set to be replaced by a permanent garden run by the City of Coquitlam through their Parks division. This arrangement is a unique one, and we're very excited to see the project take on a new life, all grown up!

This is an obvious but sometimes necessary reminder to pick and eat your food. There is nothing worse than watching a delicious zucchini turn to mush on the vine because it's gone unpicked for weeks. If you can't keep up with the food coming out of your garden box, why not invite a friend to come harvest for you?

As everyone knows, the site of our garden is slated for future development. In the mean time, we have been working with the landowner to secure another growing season at the new (and improved!) location to the north of the old site. The garden move was a big success; here's to another year of growing!

November is here––the sky is heavy with rain, the days feel short, and the bounty of summer tomatoes feels so far away. Alas!

Here are a few garden updates for November:

GARDEN MOVE

As everyone (hopefully) knows, the garden is being moved this month to a temporary winter location at Collins Road and Highland Drive. You will have access to your beds at this new location, and any plants growing in your beds will be unaffected by the travel––that's the beautiful thing about mobile raised gardens!

NEW GARDEN HOURS

Once the garden is moved, you will be able to access your beds in the new location. Because of the construction schedule, there will be limited hours for visiting the garden. The new winter gardening hours will be weekday evenings (Monday to Friday, 5pm - 10pm) and all day Saturday and Sunday. We ask that you stay out of the garden during weekday work hours (9am to 5pm), and in the coming days, while the garden move is underway.

BEDS TO REST

Winter is a time for putting your beds to rest, which means pulling out dead, rotting plants and covering the soil with mulch to protect it from the negative effects (leeching & compaction) of rain. Once the garden has been fully moved, we will come by with a few bales of straw for folks to make use of as mulch. Keep an eye on the Facebook page (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=9c01c478ff&e=9d37d4b117) for an update on this front.

GROWING TIPS: A RECIPE

Gardening in the rain is hard work! What better way to celebrate the coming of winter than with bright, flavourful soup. Here's a great winter squash soup recipe from Smitten Kitchen (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=fdf3d80a1b&e=9d37d4b117) .

Thanks for everyone's patience and support!

Adrick

Garden Manager
garden@shiftinggrowth.com
shiftinggrowth.com

Did you know that Shifting Growth sells our unique pallet raised garden beds online? Our ** Garden Store (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=20a440f575&e=9d37d4b117)
sells raised garden beds and other elevated growing systems. The raised garden beds come prefabricated and are elevated from the ground for easy growing. Raised garden beds are great for front and backyards, and the pallet garden bed allows you to grow on any surface (concrete, parking lots or any empty space). We offer free delivery in BC's Lower Mainland, including Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, New Westminster, Delta, and Tsawwassen. See our Raised Garden Bed Store here: ** http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=bb5c86b109&e=9d37d4b117 (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=5b6c9d7d1e&e=9d37d4b117)

Fall is here, which means it’s time to harvest the last of our summer crop and clear out our beds in preparation for winter. There are also some important developments that you will want to know about:

GARDEN CHANGES

As we all know, the Burke Mountain Community Garden is a temporary project subject to land-use changes. This month, we will be moving the garden from its current location to a new location further north on the same tract of land, with access off Highland Drive.

We know that this is a big development for gardeners, and we want to assure you that the garden is NOT closing. Because your beds are built on pallets, they can be transported without affecting the life of the plants growing in there.

THE PLAN

Fall (by October 15^th, 2016)

We will be moving the garden in mid-October, during the week of the 17th. In preparation for the move, we ask that you do your part to clear away old or dead plants from your beds by October 15^th at the latest. Starting the week of October 17th, the current garden site will become an active construction site, and there will no longer be access.

Moving the garden beds will not affect the plants growing in your boxes. Anyone with annuals or a fall crop can rest assured that these plants can be left growing!

Winter (October 2016 – March 2017)

The garden will be relocated to the north edge of the property for the winter months, where you should have access to your beds. This will be a temporary staging location until we find a more permanent home for the beginning of the next growing season in 2017.

Have a look at the attached map!

Spring (March/April 2017)

We are currently working with the stakeholders to find the right location for our lovely garden to continue for years to come. Stay tuned!

FUTURE GOALS

The Burke Mountain Temporary Community Garden is an important asset to the community, and it’s our goal to keep it open for years to come. We have the continued support of the landowner, who has made this move and new garden location a possibility. Most important, we need the support of our gardeners! If anyone has any further questions or concerns about the upcoming garden move, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We value your input!

If you'd like to speak in person, we'll be by on Thursday afternoon to collect green waste and to put away the hoses in preparation for first frost.

Winter has befallen the Burke Mountain Community Garden––frost cloaks the beet leaves, and beneath a layer of crispy mulch, next year's garlic prepares to send up its hardy shoots.

Here are a few notes from the year that was, and some updates on the coming season:

NEXT YEAR

The registration process for 2016 will be the same as the previous spring, and, as always, returning gardeners will hold onto the same beds. Look for an email early next year with further details.

BEDS TO REST

If you haven't already, please make use of the straw to mulch your beds. You can find the straw in the garden shed box! A final reminder to also clean out any green waste (re: dead plants) from your beds to avoid rot.

WE HAVE A WINNER!

It was a tough choice, but we have selected a winning photograph in our First Annual Photo Contest. This photograph was sent to us by Sharyn, a gardener at the Hastings North Community Garden. Here's what the judges had to say:

"Sunflowers tower above a future green thumb, radiating in the warm fall light. How can you not love this image?"

Congratulations to our two runners-up, Angie and Marline, from the Southeast False Creek Community Garden.

Fall has been generous to us at the Burke Mountain Community Garden––plenty of sun, warm days, and rain when it counts. We're still seeing production from plants that went into the ground over six months ago. I, for one, haven't bought kale from a grocery store since February. I have grown a bit tired of kale salad, but hey, the gardener taketh what the garden giveth away.

Here are a few garden updates for November:

WATER SHUT OFF

We will be shutting off water at the garden and removing the hoses early this month to avoid freezing damage over the winter. We'll start the water up again in spring, after the final frost.

GREEN WASTE

If you have dead/withered plants in your beds, it's time to pull them up in preparation for winter. Green waste goes in the compost bins in the northwest corner of the garden.

PUTTING BEDS TO REST

The final stage in putting your beds to rest for the winter is to cover them with mulch. There is plenty of straw to make use of: one bale in the main garden shed, and two more bales in the boxes in the middle of the garden. We ask that you put straw on your own bed, and do so as soon as possible. You are welcome to plant a cover crop (like clover) instead of mulching, but even over-winter crops (like kale and garlic) benefit from a good couple inches of mulch. See the photo below for an example of what a 'resting bed' looks like.

JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP

If you're on Facebook, be sure to join the newly minted Burke Mountain Temporary Community Garden Group (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=888bd5b245&e=9d37d4b117) . Going forward, this will be a great place to post garden photos, watering requests, and other garden related info.

PHOTO CONTEST EXTENSION

For anyone who wants to send a photo into the first annual photo contest, we're pushing the deadline back one week, to November 7th. To enter the contest, please send your top pic (only one per gardener, please) to garden@shiftinggrowth.com.

The winning photo will be announced in our December Garden Update, and the winner will get their beds for free for the 2016 growing season.

GROWING TIPS: MULCHING YOUR BEDS

Here's an example of a garden bed that has been nicely mulched. I've trimmed back the yellowed chive plants and left the sage and rosemary, which are winter-hardy perennials that will survive the West Coast winter.

And for those suffering from kale fatigue, here's a fresh take on the ** kale salad (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=4484d5f200&e=9d37d4b117)
from one of my favourite food blogs.

Fall is officially here, and plants are slowing down at the Burke Mountain Community Garden. It's time to pull up our yellowed tomato vines and cover the soil with mulch for the winter.

Here are a few garden updates for October:

GET TOGETHER AT THE GARDEN

Come out on Saturday, October 17th at 11am to help close the garden down for the winter. We'll bring coffee for the adults and hot chocolate for the kids, and we'll take a few hours to clear our beds out and cover it all with straw and leaves. If it's pouring rain, we might just push the event to the 18th -- look out for an email!

FIRST ANNUAL PHOTO CONTEST

We're looking for your photos from the garden! Got a nice shot of your kale plants, blowing in the wind? Sunflowers? Lettuce? The salad you made with that lettuce? To enter the contest, please send your top pic (only one per gardener, please) to garden@shiftinggrowth.com before November 1st.

The winning photo will be featured on our website, and the winner will get their beds for free for the 2016 growing season.

HARVEST

Despite the chilly weather, there is still good food to harvest from the beds at the garden. Remember to pluck those last tomatoes, that last cucumber, before it's too late. We also want to avoid rotting vegetables in the beds; this tends to attract vermin of the pointy-nosed, pink-tailed variety.

GREEN WASTE

In preparation for winter, we ask that everyone do their part in clearing all dead plant matter from the beds before November 1st. Green waste goes in the compost bins in the northwest corner of the garden. There should be lots of space, but if it's getting really full, an email my way is appreciated.

PUTTING BEDS TO REST

The final stage in putting your beds to rest for the winter is to cover them with mulch. We will provide leaves for this purpose at the Garden Get Together in October. We ask that you put leaves on your own bed, and do so before we shut off the water at the end of this month. You are welcome to plant a cover crop (like clover) instead of mulching, but even over-winter crops (like kale and garlic) benefit from a good couple inches of mulch. See Garden Tips for a run-down of the process.

NEXT YEAR

To clear up any lingering confusion: your bed allocation WILL NOT CHANGE for 2016. The only action required of you to secure your place in the garden for the upcoming year is to sign off on the Gardener Agreement and pay your 2016 fee come April, 2016.

If you already know that you will not be returning to the garden next year, please let me know in an email.

GROWING TIPS: PREPARING YOUR BEDS FOR WINTER

The goal with winter preparation is to protect your plants, and, more importantly, your soil, from the damage of winter weather. In BC, months of continuous rain can erode and compress your soil, washing out valuable nutrients and turning it acidic. Good winter preparation will help keep your soil in condition, add several weeks of growth to your garden in the late fall and early spring, and suppress weeds.

Here are a few simple steps:

Remove diseased plants or plant parts (like powdery mildew).

Thin your winter sprouts out (like carrots, radishes, beets).

Remove any plants that have stopped producing (such as corn, zucchini, tomatoes, beans).

Add some organic matter (like compost or manure, which can be purchased from any garden or hardware store).

Cover your beds (with a wholesome layer of leaves, which we'll be providing).

This info is a condensed version of a great post from the Abundant City blog. Check out the full version here (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=42bdac65ca&e=9d37d4b117) .

Fall is closing in on us, despite the feeling that summer will go on forever. The days are getting shorter, the sun is a little less smouldering, and there's a nip to the air at night that presages frost. In short, harvest time is here.

Here are a few garden updates for September:

WATER RESTRICTIONS

Metro Vancouver is still experiencing drought conditions, so Stage 3 water restrictions are still in place. We are (hopefully) due for some autumn rain, but in the mean time, let's continue to be conservative with our water use at the garden. Any leaking hoses or busted nozzles, don't hesitate to get in touch with me ASAP.

FALL CROPS

If you're new to the garden, or have just cleared up space in your beds, there are still a few options for late-summer/early fall crops. Two delicious options with the quickest turn-around are radishes and corn salad (also known as mache) which can be direct-seeded. Endives (or radicchio) can also be direct-seeded in September. It's still a little early for garlic, which is an over-winter crop, but you can certainly start reserving space in your beds for bulbs. Figaro's Garden (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=db3e346cfd&e=9d37d4b117) sells excellent organic garlic stock, and you can also buy heads directly from a farmers' market.

FALL SCHEDULE

We will be providing mulch (likely leaves) around the middle of October for you to use to cover your beds in preparation for winter. The first frost in Vancouver is slated for November 5th, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, so we will be packing up the hoses and shutting off the water around this time to avoid frozen pipes.

As always, the garden remains open year-round for those gardeners wishing to tend their crops through the winter.

HARVEST

It may seem self-evident, but don't forget to pick the food you've grown! Each fall we witness a lot of unpicked beds; if you can't keep up with your harvest, why not give some veggies to a friend or neighbour?

COVER CROP EVENT

The Vancouver Urban Farming Society is hosting a cover cropping workshop on Wednesday, September 9th in Mount Pleasant, starting at 4:30pm. If you're interested, check out their website (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=cf745a3ed9&e=9d37d4b117) .

GROWING TIPS: SEED SAVING

Now is a great time to think about harvesting seeds from your plants to store over winter and plant again in the spring. Here's a great website (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=51efaf82a8&e=9d37d4b117) that offers a basic how-to for a bunch of different vegetable plants. Tomatoes, however, may be the most fun––check out this video!
http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=d8bdd9f653&e=9d37d4b117

Despite the heat, plants at the Burke Mountain Garden are looking bountiful and alive––tomatoes, basil, peas, kale... all thriving!

Here are a few garden updates for August:

WATER RESTRICTIONS

As you are all aware, we've entered Stage 3 water restrictions for Metro Vancouver. The watering of lawns is prohibited, but we're still able to water our vegetable gardens, so a bit of a break there. That said, let's continue to be conservative with our watering (no more than 3 waterings a week, which should be ample), and to report any busted nozzles or leaking hoses, so that I can address the issue ASAP.

Fingers crossed that the city doesn't bump us into Stage 4 restrictions, which ban the watering of vegetable gardens outright. Eep!

WEEDS

Keeping up with the weeds at the garden is an ongoing (losing) battle. I'm asking you to help out by yanking anything that's growing up through the gravel in the immediate vicinity of your beds. These pesky plants can be composted. Cheers.

GROWING TIPS: GARLIC HARVEST

I haven't seen much garlic in the garden, but if you want to learn about garlic harvesting for next year (it's such an easy one to grow!), here's a great video:

And if you're interested, check out this summer update from ** West Coast Seeds (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=8f3587191c&e=9d37d4b117)
on gardening in an El Nino year.

We're a few months into what's proven to be a real scorcher. I hope that you're finding the time and energy to keep your plants hydrated -- it seems like there's no end to the sun!

Here are a few garden updates for July:

NO BERRIES IN THE GARDEN

My apologies for this late reminder, but our garden rules at Burke Mountain do not allow the growing of berries (like strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries). This may seem unnecessarily cruel (berries are so tasty!) but we have the restriction in place as an anti-wildlife measure. The garden nuzzles up with the forest, and we don't want to entice any large forest animals into our beds. If you are growing berries, I'll ask that you please remove and transplant them elsewhere, in household planters perhaps, by this Sunday, June 28th.

SPEAKING OF BEARS

The main reason people (gardeners) and bears come into conflict is actually the improper care of garbage and other attractants (like berries). The bears can't change, but we can: here's a good resource (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=724e86837b&e=9d37d4b117) .

To report an aggressive bear in or near the garden, please call the Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277.

Here's a good website for more info: http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=e06255bb54&e=9d37d4b117

GARDEN VISIT

I will be at the garden on Tuesday, June 30th to remove the green waste, tidy the space, and make sure there are no remaining berries. If you're in the neighbourhood and want to pop by to talk about fall crops (see below), I'll be there from 12:30 pm to 2 pm.

WATERING

We're well into the hot stretch and this means the beds get dried out very quickly. Make sure to give your plants a good dousing of water (ideally in the cooler 'shoulder' hours of the day), three to four times a week.

GROWING TIPS: FALL & WINTER VEG

It may seem bizarre to start thinking about the cooler months, but now is a great time to create some space in your beds for fall and winter crops (like carrots, beets, onions, broccoli, and cabbage). Check out this great resource from West Coast Seeds (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=6261e09b33&e=9d37d4b117) !

The bounty has arrived at the Burke Mountain Community Garden! I for one have started eating salad for breakfast -- it seems like the only way to keep up with all those greens.

Here are a few garden updates for June:

GARDEN EVENT

I will be at the garden on Wednesday, June 10th, from 3:30 to 5:30 pm, to do a little garden workshop on planting tomatoes. I'll bring some tomato starts, as well as cages, so that you can get growing one of summer's best fruits. Please let me know in an email (garden@shiftinggrowth.com) if you plan on attending!

WATERING

We're entering the hot stretch of summer and that means the beds get dried out very quickly. There's no magic number, but your plants will probably appreciate a good soaking 3 times a week. Be sure to dig down a bit after watering to check just how much you've saturated the soil. I was speaking with a master gardener recently who said that pests (like aphids) target plants with weak root structures, which is often the result of insufficient watering. It's best to water in the cooler hours (early morning and evening) so you don't scald your plants.

If you'll be heading out of town, I recommend asking a friend or garden neighbour for a watering favour. You can also pin a handmade sign to your bed asking for it to be watered, and noting the dates you'll be away.

GROWING TIPS: APHIDS

As mentioned, the aphids are here. These little green buddies tend to set up shop in leafy plants like kale and cabbage and nibble away at a plant's new growth. There are many opinions and counter-opinions on how to get rid of aphids, but here are a few of the easier methods:

Crush them with your fingers -- barbaric, but effective.

Use the water pressure from the hose to spray them off your plants. Some gardeners swear by soapy water in a spray bottle.

Encourage insects like ladybugs, which are sworn aphid-eaters.

Plant garlic and onions and chives nearby. These are natural deterrents to the bug.

Plant natural attractants like nasturtium, cosmos and zinnia, which will draw the pests away from your veggies.

April has indeed been a wet one, and here's hoping May will provide a bit more sun! Beds at the Burke Mountain Community Garden are starting to show off the best of spring: overwintered garlic and kale, new spinach, arugula, leek, peas, strawberries. This month is a good one to turn your attention to warmer-season vegetables like cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, lettuce, chard, and tomatoes (which technically are fruits, I guess).

Here are a few garden updates for May:

PAINT YOUR GARDEN SIGNS

I'll be in the garden on Wednesday, May 13th, 3:30 to 5:30PM, with paint, cedar placards, and a drill. If you're a new gardener (and there are a few -- so welcome!) this is a good opportunity to make your personalized name sign. If you want to touch up your pre-existing sign, all the better.

COMMUNAL BEDS

I want to remind everyone that there is a communal herb bed in the garden, #18. If you have any extra herb seeds or transplants that you can't quite fit into your bed, feel free to plant them in the communal bed. (Feel free to harvest anything from the beds, while you're at it).

FREE COMPOST

If you haven't heard already, the City of Coquitlam is giving away free compost to Coquitlam residents. The give-away happens this Sunday (May 3rd) at the Inspiration Garden (Guildford Way & Pipeline Road), from 11am to 3pm.

Click here for more info! (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=bf82cad415&e=9d37d4b117)

2015 REGISTRATION

There are still a few returning gardeners who haven't registered for the 2015 growing season. Please head over to our online registration page at
www.shiftinggrowth.com/garden-members/.

If you do not intend on growing with us this year, please send me an email so I can relocate your plots to a new gardener.

GROWING TIPS

Here's a good blogpost from West Coast Seeds, Seeds to Plant in May. (http://shiftinggrowth.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=764a1db14c3c23e7a865a5214&id=a2efa3c5b2&e=9d37d4b117)
And speaking of tomatoes, here's a very informative video:

Photo's of the 2015 Burke Mountain Temporary Community Garden. The Garden Opening was held on Saturday March 28, 2015. Victory Gardens was on hand to provide the garden tips and supplies for a bountiful 2015 growing season.